Wedged Together. Clay Burnette, artist
By Natasha Anderson
Blue Spiral 1 hosts four new exhibits opening Friday, July 1, and running through August 24. Blue Ridge, in the Main Gallery, presents work from artists who live in and travel through the region to expand their creativity by experiencing breathtaking views, seasonal colors and the way light moves over the mountains. They also respond to the geographical elements of rocks, soil and water. The artists are Luke Allsbrook, Alex Bernstein, Josh Copus, Julyan Davis, John Dickson, Charles Goolsby, Reuben Negrón, Peggy Root and Deborah Squier. Each follows their own path through the mountains and creates visual interpretations in paint, glass, clay, pastel and graphite.
Stories of Forgotten Dreams. Kirsten Stingle, artist
“I paint directly from nature on location on my large canvases as well as making notes and catching light effects on smaller canvases and boards at the same time,” says Root. “Some canvases proceed quickly and are completed within a few days. Others are painted over a longer period—a week, month or even over a few years, revisiting the location and season.”
In the Showcase Gallery, her.story: Althea Murphy-Price and Kirsten Stingle features work inspired by themes of beauty, female identity, history and culture. Murphy-Price and Stingle create works which place girls and women in the context of their individuality. Both artists strive to convey a narrative, either through bodily adornment, gesture, subject matter or historical reference. Murphy-Price’s prints, collages and sculptures examine hair as a cultural self-identifier, and use trompe l’oeil imagery, textured surfaces, bright color and decorative elements to draw viewers into the narrative. Stingle’s often large-scale ceramic and mixed-media figurative sculptures are theatrical in both costume and theme, creating an interactive experience.
In the Small Format Gallery’s To Knit or Knot: Carol Milne, Milne presents complex, woven glass sculptures with a special process of knitting, lost-wax casting, mold-making and kiln-casting. Her resulting sculptures resemble brightly colored knitted scarves and blankets, frozen in time, reflecting the surrounding light. Milne often adds hands or knitting needles to suggest the anticipation of progress and completion of each knitted object. “I see these pieces as a salute to the act of creation,” says Milne. “A finished work of art is revered, and yet, for me, the value lies in the creative process itself.”
Goody Girl 3. Althea Murphy-Price, artist
Staked Out: Contemporary Basketry, in the Lower Level Gallery, features the work of artists who use traditional and non-traditional materials to create functional and sculptural masterpieces. Some artists stake out the form and weave with the traditional methods of the Gullah or Cherokee peoples; others build it up from clay or wood; while others use brightly colored thread and natural fibers to enhance decorative elements.
“The act of knitting and crocheting provides me with a strong sense of nostalgia and a connection to family—my mother in particular,” says Lisa Belsky, whose work explores the intersection between the mediums of fiber and clay. “I view the work as a metaphor for embracing change while preserving memories and traditions.”
Exhibiting artists also include Corey Alston, Kate Anderson, Clay Burnette, Andrea Cayetano-Jefferson, Cael Chappell, Ann B. Coddington, Carole Hetzel, Patti Quinn Hill, Maggie Jaszczak, Lee Sipe, Sarita Westrup and Kari Woolsey.
Learn more at BlueSpiral1.com.
